Charges: Fleeing car thief tries to drown police dog

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LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- A fleeing car thief with more than a dozen convictions under his belt attempted to drown a police dog in a creek last Thursday in Lakewood, according to charges filed with Pierce County Superior Court.

According to the charging documents a Lakewood Police Department officer was stopped at a red light when the light turned green and the car in front of him quickly accelerated to more than 55 mph.

The officer followed the car, which ignored commands to pull over, as it ran multiple red lights, drove into oncoming traffic and reached speeds of more than 80 mph, according to the charging documents.

The car eventually hit a curb on 112th Street South near Gravelly Lake Drive and rolled over. The driver, later identified as 25-year-old Martonio Ramsey, dragged himself out of the car but reportedly refused commands to get on the ground.

According to the charging documents, Ramsey ran off, and a police dog tracked him to a fish ladder next to a creek. Ramsey reportedly still refused to surrender, and the police dog was sent into the waist-deep water after him.

Ramsey grabbed the police dog's neck and pushed its head under water in an attempt to drown it, according to the charging documents. Officers went to rescue the dog and eventually arrested a struggling Ramsey.

Meanwhile, the police dog and one officer had slipped and were having trouble keeping their heads above water. They were rescued by other officers.

According to the charging documents, the car Ramsey was driving, a red Dodge Charger, had been reported stolen from a dealership a day earlier.

Ramsey has been charged with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, possessing stolen property, harming a police dog, and obstructing a law-enforcement officer.

He has 13 previous convictions, including ones for car theft and eluding police.